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Contributing to CrowdCode

Thank you for your interest in contributing to CrowdCode! This document explains how to contribute to the project.

How CrowdCode Works

CrowdCode is a meta project - it uses itself for development! This means:

  1. Feature Requests: Submit via GitHub Issues
  2. AI Generation: GitHub Actions generates PRs automatically
  3. Community Voting: PatchPanel members vote on features
  4. Automatic Promotion: Approved features are merged to main

Ways to Contribute

💡 Submit Feature Ideas

The primary way to contribute is by submitting feature requests:

  1. Go to Issues
  2. Select "CrowdCode Feature Request"
  3. Fill out the template completely:
    • Feature Name: Concise, descriptive title
    • Description: What should it do?
    • Use Case: Why is it valuable?
    • Acceptance Criteria: How to verify it works?

Tips for good feature requests:

  • Be specific and detailed
  • Explain the "why" not just the "what"
  • Provide examples or references
  • Consider edge cases
  • Define success criteria

🗳️ Join the PatchPanel

PatchPanel members vote on which features to promote:

To request membership:

  1. Open an issue requesting PatchPanel membership
  2. Explain why you'd like to participate
  3. Describe your interest in the project
  4. Wait for review by existing members

Responsibilities:

  • Review AI-generated PRs thoughtfully
  • Vote on features (approve, reject, or request review)
  • Provide constructive feedback
  • Participate regularly (at least monthly)

🐛 Report Bugs

Found a bug? Let us know:

  1. Check if it's already reported in Issues
  2. If not, create a new issue with:
    • Clear description of the problem
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Expected vs. actual behavior
    • Environment details (OS, browser, etc.)
    • Screenshots if applicable

📖 Improve Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome:

  1. Submit a feature request for documentation changes
  2. Or submit a direct pull request for:
    • Typo fixes
    • Clarifications
    • Examples
    • Formatting improvements

💻 Submit Pull Requests

While CrowdCode uses AI for feature implementation, you can still submit PRs for:

  • Urgent bug fixes: Critical issues needing immediate attention
  • Documentation: Improvements to markdown files
  • Small improvements: Minor tweaks and optimizations

PR Guidelines:

  1. Keep changes focused and minimal
  2. Follow existing code style
  3. Update documentation if needed
  4. Add tests if applicable
  5. Reference related issues

Development Setup

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11+
  • Git
  • GitHub CLI (optional, recommended)

Local Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/evcatalyst/CrowdCode.git
cd CrowdCode

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run tests (when available)
python -m pytest

Testing Workflows Locally

Use act to test GitHub Actions locally:

# Install act
brew install act  # macOS
# or
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nektos/act/master/install.sh | sudo bash

# Test a workflow
act -j generate-prs -s GITHUB_TOKEN=your_token

Dry-Run Mode

All scripts support dry-run mode for testing:

# Test PR generation without making changes
python scripts/generate-feature-pr.py
export DRY_RUN=true

# Test vote counting
python scripts/validate-votes.py

Code Standards

Python Style

  • Follow PEP 8
  • Use type hints where appropriate
  • Add docstrings for functions
  • Keep functions focused and small

Documentation

  • Use Markdown for all documentation
  • Include code examples
  • Add links to related documents
  • Keep README.md up to date

Git Commits

  • Use clear, descriptive commit messages
  • Start with a verb (Add, Fix, Update, etc.)
  • Keep commits focused on single changes
  • Reference issues when applicable

Example:

Add vote notification feature

Implements email notifications when features are promoted.
Closes #42

Voting Guidelines

For PatchPanel Members

When voting on features:

Approve (👍) when:

  • Implementation matches requirements
  • Code quality is acceptable
  • No security concerns
  • Aligns with project goals
  • Tests pass (when required)

Reject (👎) when:

  • Implementation is incomplete
  • Security vulnerabilities present
  • Breaking changes without discussion
  • Doesn't match requirements
  • Quality issues

Request Review (👀) when:

  • Need more time to evaluate
  • Want other opinions
  • Implementation looks promising but needs refinement
  • Unclear about requirements

Best Practices:

  • Review thoroughly before voting
  • Provide constructive feedback
  • Explain rejection reasons
  • Test the implementation when possible
  • Vote within the voting period

Community Guidelines

Code of Conduct

We follow the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct:

  • Be respectful: Treat everyone with respect
  • Be inclusive: Welcome diverse perspectives
  • Be constructive: Focus on issues, not people
  • Be collaborative: Work together toward shared goals

Communication

  • Issues: For feature requests and bugs
  • Discussions: For questions and ideas (coming soon)
  • Pull Requests: For code contributions
  • Email: For sensitive matters

Decision Making

CrowdCode uses democratic decision-making:

  1. Proposals: Anyone can propose features
  2. Discussion: Community discusses merits
  3. Implementation: AI generates initial code
  4. Voting: PatchPanel votes on promotion
  5. Promotion: Approved features merge to main

Release Process

Releases are created automatically when:

  • Significant features are promoted
  • Major milestones are reached
  • Monthly release cycles (future)

Getting Help

Recognition

Contributors are recognized through:

  • GitHub contributor graph
  • Release notes
  • PatchPanel membership
  • Project acknowledgments

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.

Thank you for contributing to CrowdCode! Together, we're building a more democratic, transparent, and collaborative approach to software development. 🚀